No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:37-39
I enjoy J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings very much. They are a series I read for the first time when I was 12 or 13 years old. Tolkien’s writing can be quite verbose, and he often trails off into too much detail on different characters, situations, or various histories within his fantasy world; but these wordy paragraphs give weight to the story. All of Tolkien’s world is designed around the battle between good and evil. Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, and he admits that his stories reflect his Christian faith.
Without getting too complicated, the main story follows a group of heroes who are on a mission to destroy the ultimate evil. Gandalf the Wizard, the group’s protector, comes in and out of the story. Gandalf always arrives at the last moment to give guidance or to turn the battle in the favor of our heroes.
One of the most gripping moments of all (Spoiler Alert) is when Gandalf stands against an ancient fire monster that comes up from the depths. Gandalf engages the monster in a terrible fight. They fight while falling down a horrible chasm and land in an icy lake. They continue fighting through miles and miles of dark tunnels until they are fighting on top of the highest mountain peak. Gandalf finally slays the beast after days, possibly eons, of fighting, but he also collapses and dies, but returns later in the story after some sort of resurrection. Our group of heroes finds him in an old forest, but they do not recognize him. They eventually realize their wizard friend has been changed into something new, and he is with them again to continue their journey.
Gandalf is a tangible Christ-like figure whom we love and trust throughout these books. Tolkien’s stories help us remember that nothing will keep Christ from fighting alongside us. He will be with us as we face the greatest monsters in our lives, and He will be with us as we continue our journey.
Logan Fish, Director of Arts and Edmond Campus Director of Hospitality
